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Friday, December 28, 2012

Hello all! I hope you had a blessed holiday – however you celebrate! I know some of you probably have some Christmas money that you’d love to spend and guess what? Flourishes needs to reduce what is on our shelves before our year-end inventory count. So, a sale is in order! And, it’s a win-win for everyone!Simply use the code MERRY12 in the coupon code box. (All codes are case sensitive, so please use all caps, just like shown above.) We should point out that this 25% off does not include Copic Markers due to Copic’s price mapping requirements for retailers like us. It also does not include gift certificates. Everything else is fair game – even our Sale Page, which is already 50% off retail prices! So, check it out! This sale runs through the 30th of December. Another note to shoppers, we will be closing down the Flourishes store for a few hours on the 31st in order to do inventory. For about a 4 hour period, we will not be able to take or process orders. We will try to be as quick as possible!Now… for another fun surprise!We also have a REALLY fun way to be surprised this season and it is one heck of a deal. We have put together some Flourishes Mystery Bags! These goodie bags have wonderful things in them like papers, ribbons, embellishments AND… get this… an unpackaged Flourishes stamp set. Since these sets are not in their packaging, they can’t be sold. However, they stamp just the same — beautifully! Unfortunately, all sales will be final and it really is the luck of the draw. Here’s the good news — the price on these goody bags are $15. The value is well over $30. What a bargain! Just click HERE to see this little Mystery Bag of fun in the store!And, to inspire you today I have this card to share using the Friendly Reminders stamp set. This was a card I created last year during my term on the Splitcoast Dirty Dozen…My birdhouse was stamped on Flourishes Classic Ivory cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and colored with Copics from the Rich Browns, Pistachio, Iced Aqua and Cool Neutrals collections. Then I cut out the image with a Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities, and sponged inside the die with a little Antique Linen distress ink. I embellished with some hand-dyed seam binding, and an Emerald Coast button.Have a fabulous weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Greetings everyone! Here’s a sweet little Pure Innocence girl helping me send you some warm (and belated!) Christmas wishes! I hope a great Christmas was had by all, as wonderful as the celebration in my family was! I thought I’d quickly share this card with you today as we prepare to hunker down and get snowed in with near-blizzard conditions! I’m SO glad I don’t have to go anywhere!The layout for this card comes from the My Favorite Things Wednesday sketch from last week, using the Snow Day Pure Innocence stamp set. She’s colored with Copics, and if you click on the picture above you can see that I added some shimmer to the show with a Sakura clear glaze pen. I also used some Rounded Banner STAX, Fishtail Flags STAX, and Let It Snowflake Die-Namics dies.I added the Pure Innocence image again on the inside along with one of the sentiments from the set.Again, I hope your Christmas was merry and bright, and if you’re in the midst of the storm like we are, keep warm and safe! Thanks for stopping by!

For more inspiration, stop and see what the other Flourishes Sr. Designers have created today using the newest releases….Ok… are you ready to hop? Let’s get on with the show and see what our ever-so-fabulous designers whipped up using our newest release!

Ready to shop? Remember that today is the last day to take advantage of the December New Release Bundle. It’s a savings of 10% when you purchase all three of Flourishes’ new sets in a bundle. If you want to check it out in the Flourishes store, just click HERE! Also, while you’re shopping, have you checked out our Gambler’s Sale? Prices dropped another 5%, which means your discount is now….That’s right! 50% OFF retail prices! That’s a fabulous deal and the perfect way to stock up on some fun goodies to use in your crafting spaces! So, click HERE to check out our Sale Page!Happy stamping… thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

I really love the tag (as opposed to a card) for the Deconstructed Sketch #81 this week, so I just had to make time to play along. (And check out Jen’s sample on the blog, too… it’s darling!)I’m starting to feel a little Christmas’ed out lately, so I didn’t want to do a holiday-theme for my tag. Instead I (finally!) used my Girly Graphic Tee Die & Stamp set from My Favorite Things. Also used on my tag are Fishtail Flags STAX and Traditional Tags STAX, plus I shortened the length of my tag a little bit and added a Simply Scallops Medium border at the bottom. I embellished with a Tangy Orange button tied with some jute twine, and a red seam binding bow at the top! The papers I used here are from My Mind’s Eye, ironically called…. My Favorite Things! :)You like? I’d love to hear, if you do! :) Comments make my day SO much brighter!Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Just wanted to share this card with you today that I created last week for the December Guest Designer contest at My Favorite Things. It didn’t win me the contest, but regardless I’m still pretty darn pleased with how it turned out, and I hope you all will like it, too!

The Vertical Greetings stamp set and Die-Namics was the first thing that came to my mind when I originally saw the sketch, and then I thought it’d be neat to double-up on the encouragement in this card by adding the “hitch your wagon” sentiment to it. (That sentiment comes from the retired Clearly Sentiment about Emerson stamp set.) That sentiment was stamped on an arrow from the Lead the Way Die-Namics. In my quest to keep trying to use what I have on hand, I discovered this Everyday Eclectic 6x6 paper pad from Echo Park that I hadn’t even used yet! I liked the idea of using the paper with the clouds and the stars on this card to further push the encouragement, and loved how the Chevron paper I used at the bottom is mimicked in some of the clouds. I embellished with some stars cut with the Stacking Stars Die-Namics and a few Flat-Bottom Clouds to match the paper. (I sponged a little Tumbled Glass distress ink on the clouds to give them dimension.) I finished things off with some machine stitching, some white pearls that I colored with a BG53 Copic marker, a Mint Cooler button and some hemp cord. Thanks so much for stopping by today! Happy stamping!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Last year I made this coupon for free babysitting for some friends, and was recently contacted by an Etsy customer to make some Christmas-themed ones for her, and this is what I came up with. I cut these tags using the Traditional Tags STAX Die-Namics from My Favorite Things from My Mind's Eye "Winter Wonderland" 6x6 paper, and used my By the Letter Die-Namics to cut out the word “free” and the Fishtail Flags STAX to cut out the “this coupon good for…” (which was computer-generated). The tickets were from my stash (that my friend Barbara Anders sent to me) and I embellished with some old Bo Bunny brads and baker’s twine. Super easy… but what parent of small children wouldn’t LOVE to get one of these for Christmas! :)Happy stamping!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Welcome to the grand finale of Flourishes’ December release! If you’ve been following our sneaks this week, we are happy to report, they are no longer sneaks! All three of our new sets are now live RIGHT HERE in the Flourishes store! We even have our New Release Bundle – it’s a deal where you get 10% off all our new sets when you purchase it in the bundle. What fun! The set we are unveiling today is part of a continuing collection of sentiments aimed at being a “go to” when it comes to offering someone a bit of thanks! It’s the latest set in our “Inside & Out” collection!Give the inside and outside of your cards a dash of pizazz with this fun new set from Becky Fleck! Inside and Out Thank You is the perfect little sentiment set for all the different ways to tell someone Thank You! There are so many mix and match sentiments packed in this 4″ by 3″ set! If you like this set, you might like our others called Inside & Out Just Because or Inside & Out Happy! Be sure to check them out as well.

For my card today, I decided to make a Christmas thank you card… this may go to the couple who teach our Sunday School class because we truly do appreciate all that they do, and don’t say it often enough. I paired the new sentiments up with the Christmas Candles stamp set from last year, coloring with Copics from the Evergreen, Pistachio, Iced Aqua, Dusty Rose and Dahlia collections. The images are stamped on Flourishes Classic Ivory cardstock withMemento Tuxedo Black ink. I embellished with some Blush Kaisercraft pearls, this sheer ribbon and a little Ivory Lace Trim.Would you like to try to win this set? All you need to do is leave some love in the form of a comment on the blogs below! Why? You need to try to figure out who is the…One of the ladies on our link list below will be picking a name from the comments on her blog post today. We don’t know which one it is… so the more blogs you leave comments on, the more chances you have to win!

And a few more things to remember…First up, we have two new Silhouette and SVG cut files that coordinate with our new Garden Dreams and Winter Blossoms stamp sets! See?Some of the ladies on our line up will be creating with out brand new 123 Create Kit called Vintage Finds. It’s a gorgeous pack of paper and trinkets designed to bring that dash of shabby chic to your cards and creations! Here’s a peek at what’s inside our latest kit!Just click HERE to check out this beauty in the Flourishes store! And… while you’re hopping over to the store, if you’ve been following our Gambler’s Sale – you should know that ALL items on our Sale Page are now listed at….That’s 45% off retail! These bargains are too good to pass up! Stock up on papers, embellishments or ribbon because you won’t be able to get these goodies for prices much lower! Be sure to visit our SALE PAGE!DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD WIN OUR ENTIRE DECEMBER RELEASE? Have you checked out our Let’s Hop Challenge?Just click HERE to find out how to play! You have until THIS AFTERNOON — Friday, December 14th at 5 PM EST — to play along! Winners will be announced Saturday(tomorrow) in our Winner’s Circle blog post! Word on the street is, there might be more than one winner chosen for the Let’s Hop Challenge! So get those fingers inky and good luck! Be sure to stop by the Flourishes blog tomorrow to see if YOUR NAME lands in our Winner’s Circle! See you then!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

It’s day two of Flourishes’ Sneak Peeks for December and today brings a beautiful illustration that’s a part of a collection that Flourishes is offering to make your world bloom all year long! Introducing…Part of The Blossoms Collection, this beautiful array of late winter blossoms illustrated by Marcella Hawley features a bouquet, corner stamps, and pieces to create your own borders or frames. Add in a trio of all occasion sentiments and you have the perfect set to create cards for every day correspondence. The set measures 4” by 6″ and is the perfect companion to sister sets Happily Ever After SS199 and Letters in Blossom SS198. If you like this set, you might also like our Summer Blossoms set featuring Summer florals or our Autumn Blossoms set featuring Autumn florals.

DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD WIN OUR ENTIRE DECEMBER RELEASE? Have you checked out our Let’s Hop Challenge?Just click HERE to find out how to play! You have until Friday, December 14th at 5 PM EST and winners will be announced Saturday in our Winner’s Circle blog post! Word on the street is, there might be more than one winner chosen for the Let’s Hop Challenge! So get those fingers inky and good luck!The good news? If you like what you see on our designers’ blogs today, you can pre-order this set (along with the other two sets as well) and if you purchase all three sets, you can take advantage ourNew Release Bundle and get 10% off all our new sets when you purchase it in the bundle. What fun! All sets will be live first thing Friday morning along with the coordinating cut files for this release. So, be sure to stick with us this week as we unveil a whole new host of paper crafting goodies!We’ll see you back here tomorrow for our final new release sneak peek! This one is part of a continuing collection that gives you mix and match sentiments for any and all occasions! All of our new sets will also be live in the Flourishes store — can you hear us all squeal? We’re excited to share! See you tomorrow!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Welcome to day one of Flourishes’ sneak peeks for December! This release is full of floral fancy and today is no exception. When this set was just in the concept form, illustrator Marcella Hawley came to us with images from her own home. She not only loves to draw botanical images and dream about botanicals but she loves bringing them to life in her own garden. It’s really quite incredible. She pitched this concept based on what she loves to do in the winter months, dream about spring! And so, we bring you…..When winter hits, dreams of being in the garden begin with open sketch books, seed catalogs and garden journals – planning, plotting and envisioning sprouts and buds emerging from the soil. This set that measures 4”x6”, illustrated by Marcella Hawley features three vivid vignettes honoring these garden dreams and also features three beautifully scripted sentiments. If you like what you see, you can pre-order this set right now by clicking HERE!

My card features one of the sweet images from this new set which I stamped in Memento Rich Cocoa ink on Flourishes Classic Ivory cardstock, and lightly colored with Copics from the Flesh Tones 1, Terra Cotta, Sunflower, Iced Aqua, Pistachio and Peony collections. I added some chocolate Kaisercraft pearls, and a Sunflower button tied off with some kraft jute.Would you like to try to win this set? All you need to do is leave some love in the form of a comment on the blogs below! Why? You need to try to figure out who is the…One of the ladies on our link list below will be picking a name from the comments on her blog post today. We don’t know which one it is… so the more blogs you leave comments on, the more chances you have to win! So what are you waiting for? Head on over to see all the fun-filled way our designers have put their garden dreams on paper!

DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD WIN OUR ENTIRE DECEMBER RELEASE? Have you checked out our Let’s Hop Challenge?Just click HERE to find out how to play! You have until Friday, December 14th at 5 PM EST and winners will be announced Saturday in our Winner’s Circle blog post! Word on the street is, there might be more than one winner chosen for the Let’s Hop Challenge! So get those fingers inky and good luck!The good news? If you like what you see on our designers’ blogs today, you can pre-order this set (along with the other two sets as well) and if you purchase all three sets, you can take advantage our New Release Bundle and get 10% off all our new sets when you purchase it in the bundle. What fun! All sets will be live first thing Friday morning along with the coordinating cut files for this release. So, be sure to stick with us this week as we unveil a whole new host of paper crafting goodies!I’ll see you back here tomorrow for another new release sneak peek! This one is part of a continuing collection that honors the first blooms of the season! Yes, that was your hint! See you then, and thanks for stopping by!